Can you summit one of USA’s hardest climbs?

With no safety rope, climber Giovanni Traversi will try to climb this legendary, sheer boulder outside Bishop, California. Alex Honnold made the first ascent of this epic route called “Too Big to Flail”.

“It’s just a big, big constant failure.”

Giovanni Traversi, a 26 year-old rock climber, is rightfully exhausted. For the past two years he’s been training to climb a highball boulder problem called Too Big To Flail in Bishop, California. His feelings may be valid, but there’s no room for negative thinking on a fifty foot rock wall. VRtually There brings you along Traversi’s journey to ascend Too Big in the video.

Traversi started climbing in a gym when he was eleven. He made his first trip to Bishop, a world class climbing area, when he was thirteen and he’s been returning each year since. The first time he walked up to Too Big he starred shaking. He was nervous. He was addicted. Immediately, it became a goal of his to climb without a rope.

Bouldering is a type of rock climbing that is usually done without harnesses or ropes. Climbers use chalk on their hands to improve grip and bouldering mats to minimize injuries from falls. Reaching the top of bouldering routes (also called problems) requires incredible strength and focus. Highballs, like Too Big, are a classification of boulder problems that are typically higher than 20 feet. Slips on these rock faces can result in serious consequences.

In addition to the physical demands of rock climbing, the sport calls for a great deal of mental strength. Traversi enjoys the challenge. Forcing himself into difficult situations where he must rely on himself to find a way out has helped him handle life’s uncertainties. Despite the real risks involved, climbing has taught him how to turn fear into motivation off and on the wall.